Nightingale Revamped
by AKFicChick
Summary: Beginning with Dick Grayson and Melody Bardon meeting at a Christmas party and continuing on through their relationship and then the adult years of their child, Bryce a.k.a Nightingale.
1. Chapter 1

"Excuse me Melody; I have to go say hello to Mr. Wayne," Melody's father said and left her side for the first time that night. She always hated these parties. Everyone there was always far older than her and boring. Her father was normally good about staying by her side so as not to make her feel so alone but this time Mr. Wayne couldn't get away from his group of admirers.

The golden light filled the room and lit the champagne glasses, making it look as if everyone carried a small candle. Melody was busy staring into her own sparkling drink, blowing her auburn hair out of her eyes every-so-often, when she saw him through the glass as a bubble floated daintily up to the top. His hair was slicked back and his blue eyes were entrancing as the dim lighting cast shadows across them.

Letting her hand down so she could see him better she was shocked to discover he had disappeared into the immense crowd. She turned around and stood even more on her tip toes than she already was in her high heeled shoes. All she could see was a sea of multi-colored heads bobbing about slowly. It was hard to see anyone's features. She fell back onto her heels and took a sip of her champagne as she turned and nearly spilled her drink against the white-shirted chest of a man.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Please excuse…me." Looking up she saw the mysterious blue eyes up close. There he was, standing right in front of her, smiling handsomely. Her heart lurched at that smile and her ankles began to shake as if they were jelly. What power did this man hold over her?

"No, excuse me," he said, his voice deep and alluring. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you." He continued to smile as he looked down at her, for all she stood only five feet and two inches. "I don't believe we've met before. My name is Richard Grayson. Most call me Dick, though," he held out his hand and Melody took it. Her breath caught in her throat at the warmth.

"N-nice to meet you," she stuttered. "My name is Melody Bardon."

"Ah so you're the daughter I've heard so much about."

"My father talks about me?" She was beginning to feel comfortable around him now; the charm he exuded was making her feel safe.

"Quite a bit, actually. Nothing but good things, I assure you." He lifted his glass momentarily as if to toast her.

"You must be trying to flatter me," she said with a blush. "I do nothing but cause my father trouble."

"Surely a beautiful woman like you couldn't be trouble," he laughed and Melody's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm glad for the dim light in here or else you might see how red my face is," she laughed in reply.

It wasn't long before the two of them were walking through the crowd, getting to know each other. They even took a few moments to stop and talk to Richard's friend, Mr. Wayne. By the end of the night Melody was exhausted and had drank a little too much champagne. She had taken to sitting at her table for the last hour and Dick graciously offered to keep her company.

When it was time to go home Melody didn't want to leave. Her father insisted she go home and go to bed immediately and so ordered her to the car.

On the ride home Melody sat, staring out the window at the passing buildings, humming a song that had played at the party.

"I don't want you to see that boy again," her father said suddenly.

"What?" Suddenly it was as if her mind wasn't muddled by the amount of drinks she had.

"Boy's like him are bad news. They may seem nice and gentlemanly at first but they don't want anything to do with a steady relationship. I should know, I was one of them when I was young."

"Not everyone is like you, daddy," she yawned in reply. "Richard is the sweetest man I have ever met. Not like all those other losers."

"I've met Mr. Grayson on many occasions and even though he may seem like a good man I can tell he is no good. He only wants one thing from you."

"Daddy!" Melody cried. "You're overreacting. I'm old enough now, anyways, to see who I like and I like Richard."

"If I find out you are seeing that boy I'll disown you!" Now her father was serious, but Melody really liked the guy. She would just have to keep her seeing him a secret_._

~*~

Dick kissed Melody softly on the lips. His hands trailed up her arms, sending shivers through her body. They came to rest on either side of her head, pulling her into the kiss. Melody moaned softly as her lips were gently crushed by his.

Her own hands found their way to his hair, entwining themselves into it. A moment later and he forced her mouth open with his tongue. She squeaked and her eyes flew open as she felt it. Dick was looking at her with amusement and lust in his eyes. Her knees suddenly felt like jell-o. She must have swayed because Dick put one arm behind her back, his fingers splayed around the opposite waist, brushing against her stomach. Even though she wore a sweater her skin felt like it was burning where his fingers rested.

A moment later and they fell to the bed, Melody giggling as the blankets billowed up around them, covering the two slightly. Dick pushed her gently back and looked at her. Melody opened her eyes and suddenly her gut twisted in fear.

"Richard, I…" she looked away from him, unsure how to tell him.

"What is it?" Dick answered, his thumb trailing along her jaw line.

"Well, I- I'm a virgin." She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks and she buried her head in the covers.

Dick chuckled and kissed her head. "It's alright. We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"That's not it!" she cried, looking back at him.

"Then what is it?"

"I want to, it's just that I'm afraid. I'm afraid I won't be any good. What if I'm so bad you never want to see me again?"

This time he laughed outright. "Beginners are supposed to be bad. It's easily fixed with practice." He kissed her and for a moment Melody lost herself in his warmth.

"But what if I want to wait to do it again after this?" she asked as she shoved him away a little.

"Then I'll wait." He snorted. "Melody, it's not like I'm with you for sex. But if you do good this time maybe I will be," he said with a wink and grin causing Melody to blush.

He lightly kisses her lips once, twice, the third time he pressed harder and Melody responded to him by wrapping her arms around his neck, one leg thrown over his.

When the sun poked through the curtains, lighting on Melody's face, she groaned and rolled over. Then the fog cleared in her head and she suddenly sat up. She looked around and saw Dick sleeping peacefully next to her, one of his arms thrust under her pillow, one of his legs thrown over hers, his other arm resting in her lap.

Gently, she removed his hand and slid out from under his leg. Getting off the bed she picked up her clothes and dressed. She walked over to the mirror in Dick's room and ran her fingers through her hair then licked a finger and wiped the mascara out from under her eyes. With another look at herself she sighed.

"It'll have to do. I'll just tell daddy that I stayed up late with my friend watching movies. I've done it before." With a shrug she turned to look at Dick one last time. She smiled and then left the room.

As she closed the door quietly and turned she ran into the butler.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Alfred! Are you alright?" she asked as she grabbed his shoulders to steady him so he didn't drop the tray he carried.

"Yes Miss Bardon, I'm quite alright." He said as Melody let go. "Would you care for some breakfast?" He lifted the tray a little. There was juice, toast, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and even sausage. It all smelled so good. Melody's stomach growled.

"I'd love to stay but I have to get home. Daddy will be worried." She turned to go but then suddenly whirled around and grabbed Alfred by the shoulders, startling the man. "Please don't let Mr. Wayne know I was here. I don't want him telling my father."

"Don't worry Miss, your secret is safe with me." He gave her a quick wink then entered Dick's room. "Rise and shine Master Dick, your breakfast is ready."

"Ten more minutes Alfred," Dick groaned and Melody giggled as she walked toward the front door.

Her hand was on the handle when she heard Dick cry out. "Close the curtains Alfred! My eyes are burning!"

"I won't have you sleeping all day today Master Dick," Melody heard Alfred reply. She opened the door and stepped out, not wanting Dick to come running after her when he fully realized she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

As the weeks passed Melody found it harder and harder to figure out stories to tell her father as to where she'd been when she went out with Dick.

They'd never had anything more than dates because she wasn't sure she was ready to start having sex on a regular basis. It was very nice but something in her gut told her it wasn't time for that.

One morning, a little over a month after that night with Dick, Melody woke to find herself not feeling well at all. She found that if she moved too much she felt like she was going to vomit. Staying in bed seemed like the right thing to do. She had a bucket set next to her bed in case she really did throw up.

Pulling the phone on her nightstand over to her, she picked up the receiver and called Dick.

"Wayne residence," Melody heard Alfred say as he picked up.

"Alfred? It's Melody Bardon, may I speak with Richard?"

"Why certainly, Miss. One moment."

A minute later Dick answered. "Hello? Melody?"

"Richard! How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to call and cancel our plans for tonight."

"What? Why?"

"Well I seem to have caught a virus or something."

"Oh, well okay then. I'll send over something special-"

"No! Don't!" she cried, cutting him off. "I'll be fine. Just have fun by yourself today. We spend so much time together that I'm afraid I'm taking away all your free time. You should go out and do something you don't get to do while with me."

"You know I don't mind spending time with you, but if you're sure."

"I'm sure. Now I've gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how I'm feeling."

"Alright. Well, get well soon."

"Thanks, Richard. Bye."

"Bye."

Melody hung up the phone and sighed. She'd much rather be spending the day with him than stuck at home in bed, but the thought of throwing up in front of him made Melody cringe.

Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her and she leaned off the side of the bed, vomiting into the bucket.

By the next week Melody was beginning to get irritated. At least every other day she found herself stuck in bed with a bout of nausea. It would come and go throughout the day but she never left her bed on the days she felt awful.

She had decided to go see a doctor about her illness. The day of the doctor's visit she felt fine. She was glad for that because walking around nauseated wasn't very fun.

"Well Melody I can't find anything wrong with you appearance-wise," the doctor said as he finished examining her. "You seem very healthy. It's just vomiting you say?"

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Maybe we ought to take some blood and see if there are any signs of a virus in there." He made Melody lie back on the table as he grabbed the equipment. He had a tube of blood drawn in no time. "For now just go home and get some rest. Try not to eat anything too rich or spicy. Stick to plain foods like bread, oatmeal, and the like. No fruits, though. Anything too sweet could cause you to become nauseated again."

"Alright, thanks, sir." She got up and left the office, feeling even more irritated than normal. If she was so healthy then why did she feel so tired all the time? As if on cue, she yawned.

The next day Melody was relieved to find she felt fine. Today she'd find out what was really wrong with her, she knew _something_ had to be wrong.

She waited by her fax machine all morning, waiting for the results. Just as she was starting another chapter in a book the machine began ringing. Throwing the book onto the desk, Melody sat up, her heart beating hard against her ribs. The paper seemed to come out in slow motion. When it was finally done, she nearly ripped it from the machine and stood to read it.

As her eyes flitted across the page, her triumphant grin faded into a frown. Her hands shook and she suddenly felt very weak. Her knees gave out and she fell to the chair with a thud.

"Pregnant?" she questioned softly as she let her hand fall, the paper slipping from it and landing on the floor beneath the chair. A moment later she jumped up and ran to her bathroom and threw up into the toilet.

After she rinsed her mouth out she grabbed her phone and called the doctor's office.

"Are you sure?" she asked the doctor once she had him on the phone.

"Positive. It's why you've been so nauseous lately. Has anything else been wrong? Something you forgot to mention?"

"No- well, I mean I've been extra tired lately but that's about it."

"Ah, yes, that's another symptom. You're good and pregnant, Miss Bardon."

Without telling the doctor goodbye, Melody hung up the phone, her thoughts completely silent.

It was a full hour later that Melody was able to pull herself together enough to move. She stood and without bothering to apply make-up, she left the house. A long walk sounded like a good idea to her.

By one in the afternoon Melody was seated on a bench in the park, blank eyes staring out over the lake. Her breath came out in puffs of steam thanks to the cold February weather. Somewhere in her mind she heard someone call her name. It sounded so far off she didn't think anything of it. It called again, this time louder.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump. She gasped and looked up into the eyes of Dick Grayson. Before she knew what she was doing she leapt up from the bench, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Whoa! What's this?" he asked with a laugh as he hugged her tight. "Miss me that much?"

"Yes," she sobbed into his shoulder.

He suddenly pushed her back to look at her. There were tears on her red cheeks and her nose was bright red from the cold. Taking her hands in his he found they were cold as ice. When he looked at them he saw that she wore no gloves.

"What's the matter with you? You don't even have a coat on!" He immediately pulled his off and threw it around her shoulders. The sleeves fell past her fingertips. "Here, take this too," he said and handed her his cup of coffee. "Hold onto that and warm your hands up a bit.

Melody stood there, her head down, the steaming cup grasped in her hands, looking to all the world like an abandoned child. Dick threw his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the bench.

"Why don't we go for a walk and you can tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's wrong," she lied as she continued to stare into the drink.

"I don't buy that. You have no coat, no gloves, and you were crying. _Something _has to be wrong."

"I just missed you is all. This virus is making things difficult. I hardly see you anymore."

"What are you talking about? We just saw each other two days ago."

"I know but normally I get to spend every day with you. I hate only having one or two days out of the week to see you."

He laughed. "Well we can't always have every day together. I think we'd get tired of each other if that was the case."

"I know," she said quietly.

"Come on, cheer up! We're together now." He stopped and turned her to face him. "How about I take you to get something hot to eat?"

Melody looked up at him and slowly let all her worries fade. She would tell him eventually. Today she could spend time with him as if nothing had changed. "Okay," she replied with a smile.

"That's what I like to see," he said and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on, I know this great place nearby."

~*~

When Dick got home he threw his coat in his room and lay down on the bed with a contented sigh. He and Melody had gone for a late lunch and then he took her to a bookstore where they could sit on a couch and cuddle as she read aloud to him. Normally he didn't care for the bookstore but he figured it would cheer Melody up and he liked the cuddling.

The day was great after not seeing her for two days. He was getting restless while she was sick. Bruce had begun to get angry with him when he rushed to go out at night. One night he told him to stay home and work off some of his pent up energy by practicing his fighting. True it pissed him off that he had to stay home but it had helped a little. The day with Melody hadn't even been ruined when she confessed she didn't want to have sex again for a while, telling him she wasn't quite ready for that.

Nothing could bother him now. He would be good for a few more days.

"Master Dick?" Alfred said as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dick called.

"You have a visitor, sir," Alfred said as he opened the door. "They're waiting for you in the parlor."

"Oh, alright." He jumped up and followed Alfred into the small sitting room. "Mr. Bardon," Dick said as he held out his hand to Melody's father. "What can I do for you?"

Mr. Bardon waited a moment while Alfred left the room before he spoke. Once they had their privacy his face turned red and he advanced on Dick. "You can stay away from my daughter for one thing!" he hissed.

Dick took a step back, letting his hand fall back to his side. "Now wait a minute, sir, I don't believe I understand you. You want me to stop seeing Melody?"

"Yes! This very instant! I forbade her to see you and yet she went behind my back! I will not tolerate her dating the likes of you."

"What's going on here?" Bruce Wayne said from the doorway, a look of worried confusion on his face.

"Your boy here has been seeing my daughter behind my back! I will not have it! I will not have her associating herself with some- some circus freak spawn!" he cried, his face now turning purple.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bardon, but I believe you are out of line," Bruce answered, his voice firm. "You have no right to come into my home and insult people." He turned to Dick then. "Now, Dick, did you know Melody wasn't supposed to be seeing you?"

"No! She never told me a thing. If I'd known I would have stayed away from her. I'm not looking to cause trouble." He managed to get his explanation out without his voice catching. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides and he could feel his entire body trembling with anger.

"See Bardon, Dick had no idea. I think you've gotten your point across. I'd like you to leave, please."

Mr. Bardon looked at both Dick and Bruce, his face now only red. "I'll leave, but I want you to know," he said, directing this at Dick, "that if I catch Melody with you again she'll be disowned so fast she won't know what happened. If you have any shred of decency in you you'll stay away from her!" He turned and stalked from the room. Alfred was waiting for him outside, ready to walk him to the front door.

When everything had gone quiet, Bruce turned to Dick. Dick was still shaking with fury, his teeth clenched and his hands still in fists.

"You really didn't know?" Bruce asked gently.

Dick began to calm down. "I really didn't know." He took a deep breath. "I figured something was up because she never wanted me to pick her up and she never allowed me to send anything to the house, I just figured she didn't want to be embarrassed and wanted to seem like one of those modern women." He shrugged.

"Well what are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do. I have to break up with her." Looking at Bruce he gave a quick half smile. "I'd rather not see her thrown from her house. It's a harsh world out there and I don't want to see her left alone like that. I can't really offer her much of anything right now."

Bruce placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "If that's how you see it." With that he turned and left the room. Dick slumped into a chair and put his head in his hands. This was going to be hard.


	3. Chapter 3

As the weeks passed Melody found it harder and harder to figure out stories to tell her father as to where she'd been when she went out with Dick.

They'd never had anything more than dates because she wasn't sure she was ready to start having sex on a regular basis. It was very nice but something in her gut told her it wasn't time for that.

One morning, a little over a month after that night with Dick, Melody woke to find herself not feeling well at all. She found that if she moved too much she felt like she was going to vomit. Staying in bed seemed like the right thing to do. She had a bucket set next to her bed in case she really did throw up.

Pulling the phone on her nightstand over to her, she picked up the receiver and called Dick.

"Wayne residence," Melody heard Alfred say as he picked up.

"Alfred? It's Melody Bardon, may I speak with Richard?"

"Why certainly, Miss. One moment."

A minute later Dick answered. "Hello? Melody?"

"Richard! How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to call and cancel our plans for tonight."

"What? Why?"

"Well I seem to have caught a virus or something."

"Oh, well okay then. I'll send over something special-"

"No! Don't!" she cried, cutting him off. "I'll be fine. Just have fun by yourself today. We spend so much time together that I'm afraid I'm taking away all your free time. You should go out and do something you don't get to do while with me."

"You know I don't mind spending time with you, but if you're sure."

"I'm sure. Now I've gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how I'm feeling."

"Alright. Well, get well soon."

"Thanks, Richard. Bye."

"Bye."

Melody hung up the phone and sighed. She'd much rather be spending the day with him than stuck at home in bed, but the thought of throwing up in front of him made Melody cringe.

Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her and she leaned off the side of the bed, vomiting into the bucket.

By the next week Melody was beginning to get irritated. At least every other day she found herself stuck in bed with a bout of nausea. It would come and go throughout the day but she never left her bed on the days she felt awful.

She had decided to go see a doctor about her illness. The day of the doctor's visit she felt fine. She was glad for that because walking around nauseated wasn't very fun.

"Well Melody I can't find anything wrong with you appearance-wise," the doctor said as he finished examining her. "You seem very healthy. It's just vomiting you say?"

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Maybe we ought to take some blood and see if there are any signs of a virus in there." He made Melody lie back on the table as he grabbed the equipment. He had a tube of blood drawn in no time. "For now just go home and get some rest. Try not to eat anything too rich or spicy. Stick to plain foods like bread, oatmeal, and the like. No fruits, though. Anything too sweet could cause you to become nauseated again."

"Alright, thanks, sir." She got up and left the office, feeling even more irritated than normal. If she was so healthy then why did she feel so tired all the time? As if on cue, she yawned.

The next day Melody was relieved to find she felt fine. Today she'd find out what was really wrong with her, she knew _something_ had to be wrong.

She waited by her fax machine all morning, waiting for the results. Just as she was starting another chapter in a book the machine began ringing. Throwing the book onto the desk, Melody sat up, her heart beating hard against her ribs. The paper seemed to come out in slow motion. When it was finally done, she nearly ripped it from the machine and stood to read it.

As her eyes flitted across the page, her triumphant grin faded into a frown. Her hands shook and she suddenly felt very weak. Her knees gave out and she fell to the chair with a thud.

"Pregnant?" she questioned softly as she let her hand fall, the paper slipping from it and landing on the floor beneath the chair. A moment later she jumped up and ran to her bathroom and threw up into the toilet.

After she rinsed her mouth out she grabbed her phone and called the doctor's office.

"Are you sure?" she asked the doctor once she had him on the phone.

"Positive. It's why you've been so nauseous lately. Has anything else been wrong? Something you forgot to mention?"

"No- well, I mean I've been extra tired lately but that's about it."

"Ah, yes, that's another symptom. You're good and pregnant, Miss Bardon."

Without telling the doctor goodbye, Melody hung up the phone, her thoughts completely silent.

It was a full hour later that Melody was able to pull herself together enough to move. She stood and without bothering to apply make-up, she left the house. A long walk sounded like a good idea to her.

By one in the afternoon Melody was seated on a bench in the park, blank eyes staring out over the lake. Her breath came out in puffs of steam thanks to the cold February weather. Somewhere in her mind she heard someone call her name. It sounded so far off she didn't think anything of it. It called again, this time louder.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump. She gasped and looked up into the eyes of Dick Grayson. Before she knew what she was doing she leapt up from the bench, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Whoa! What's this?" he asked with a laugh as he hugged her tight. "Miss me that much?"

"Yes," she sobbed into his shoulder.

He suddenly pushed her back to look at her. There were tears on her red cheeks and her nose was bright red from the cold. Taking her hands in his he found they were cold as ice. When he looked at them he saw that she wore no gloves.

"What's the matter with you? You don't even have a coat on!" He immediately pulled his off and threw it around her shoulders. The sleeves fell past her fingertips. "Here, take this too," he said and handed her his cup of coffee. "Hold onto that and warm your hands up a bit.

Melody stood there, her head down, the steaming cup grasped in her hands, looking to all the world like an abandoned child. Dick threw his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the bench.

"Why don't we go for a walk and you can tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's wrong," she lied as she continued to stare into the drink.

"I don't buy that. You have no coat, no gloves, and you were crying. _Something _has to be wrong."

"I just missed you is all. This virus is making things difficult. I hardly see you anymore."

"What are you talking about? We just saw each other two days ago."

"I know but normally I get to spend every day with you. I hate only having one or two days out of the week to see you."

He laughed. "Well we can't always have every day together. I think we'd get tired of each other if that was the case."

"I know," she said quietly.

"Come on, cheer up! We're together now." He stopped and turned her to face him. "How about I take you to get something hot to eat?"

Melody looked up at him and slowly let all her worries fade. She would tell him eventually. Today she could spend time with him as if nothing had changed. "Okay," she replied with a smile.

"That's what I like to see," he said and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on, I know this great place nearby."


	4. Chapter 4

When Dick got home he threw his coat in his room and lay down on the bed with a contented sigh. He and Melody had gone for a late lunch and then he took her to a bookstore where they could sit on a couch and cuddle as she read aloud to him. Normally he didn't care for the bookstore but he figured it would cheer Melody up and he liked the cuddling.

The day was great after not seeing her for two days. He was getting restless while she was sick. Bruce had begun to get angry with him when he rushed to go out at night. One night he told him to stay home and work off some of his pent up energy by practicing his fighting. True it pissed him off that he had to stay home but it had helped a little. The day with Melody hadn't even been ruined when she confessed she didn't want to have sex again for a while, telling him she wasn't quite ready for that.

Nothing could bother him now. He would be good for a few more days.

"Master Dick?" Alfred said as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dick called.

"You have a visitor, sir," Alfred said as he opened the door. "They're waiting for you in the parlor."

"Oh, alright." He jumped up and followed Alfred into the small sitting room. "Mr. Bardon," Dick said as he held out his hand to Melody's father. "What can I do for you?"

Mr. Bardon waited a moment while Alfred left the room before he spoke. Once they had their privacy his face turned red and he advanced on Dick. "You can stay away from my daughter for one thing!" he hissed.

Dick took a step back, letting his hand fall back to his side. "Now wait a minute, sir, I don't believe I understand you. You want me to stop seeing Melody?"

"Yes! This very instant! I forbade her to see you and yet she went behind my back! I will not tolerate her dating the likes of you."

"What's going on here?" Bruce Wayne said from the doorway, a look of worried confusion on his face.

"Your boy here has been seeing my daughter behind my back! I will not have it! I will not have her associating herself with some- some circus freak spawn!" he cried, his face now turning purple.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bardon, but I believe you are out of line," Bruce answered, his voice firm. "You have no right to come into my home and insult people." He turned to Dick then. "Now, Dick, did you know Melody wasn't supposed to be seeing you?"

"No! She never told me a thing. If I'd known I would have stayed away from her. I'm not looking to cause trouble." He managed to get his explanation out without his voice catching. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides and he could feel his entire body trembling with anger.

"See Bardon, Dick had no idea. I think you've gotten your point across. I'd like you to leave, please."

Mr. Bardon looked at both Dick and Bruce, his face now only red. "I'll leave, but I want you to know," he said, directing this at Dick, "that if I catch Melody with you again she'll be disowned so fast she won't know what happened. If you have any shred of decency in you you'll stay away from her!" He turned and stalked from the room. Alfred was waiting for him outside, ready to walk him to the front door.

When everything had gone quiet, Bruce turned to Dick. Dick was still shaking with fury, his teeth clenched and his hands still in fists.

"You really didn't know?" Bruce asked gently.

Dick began to calm down. "I really didn't know." He took a deep breath. "I figured something was up because she never wanted me to pick her up and she never allowed me to send anything to the house, I just figured she didn't want to be embarrassed and wanted to seem like one of those modern women." He shrugged.

"Well what are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do. I have to break up with her." Looking at Bruce he gave a quick half smile. "I'd rather not see her thrown from her house. It's a harsh world out there and I don't want to see her left alone like that. I can't really offer her much of anything right now."

Bruce placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "If that's how you see it." With that he turned and left the room. Dick slumped into a chair and put his head in his hands. This was going to be hard.

Melody was humming to herself when she entered the mansion. Her date with Dick had gone well and he'd let her do all the things she wanted to do with him but never got to. As she made her way to her room, she noticed that the place was eerily quiet.

Her hand on the doorknob to her room, she stopped for a moment and looked up and down the hall. What was going on? When she opened the door she found her father standing in front of a poster on her wall, studying it. He turned when he heard the door open, his features black.

"Hi daddy," Melody greeted, trying to sound cheerful, but she could feel the anger radiating off him. He'd never beat her or spanked her but she felt that if he had it in him, now was when he'd do it.

"I had a little talk with Richard Grayson today," he said, his voice deadly calm.

"Oh? And what did you talk about?" She knew the answer. She knew he'd found out they were seeing each other.

"Don't pretend you don't know, Mel. I thought I'd told you not to see him. Didn't I tell you what would happen?"

"You don't understand, daddy! I love him!"

"Love like that doesn't exist!" He turned away from her again and slowly pulled something from his pocket. It was a piece of paper. For a long, agonizing moment, he stared at the paper before turning back to her.

"I found this in your trashcan after I got back from my little chat." As he held up the paper, Melody recognized it as the test results from the doctor.

"You went through my things?" she cried, feeling anger and fear at the same time.

"I have that right. I am your father and you still live in my house. If you won't abide by my rules then I have to take drastic action." He crumpled the paper up and threw it aside. "And that brings me to what I was waiting in here for. I told you what would happen if you started dating that Grayson boy. I figured that'd be enough to keep you from doing it. But I knew I loved you too much to really disown you because you disobeyed me. You've disobeyed me before." He shrugged. "But to have his bastard child! I won't have it. You will not live in this house like that. I can barely stand to look at you now! My daughter, the slut! I never would have figured you to be so easy!

"You will pack your things and leave at once! You are no daughter of mine anymore!" With that, he stormed passed Melody, slamming the door behind him.

Before the anger left her completely, Melody used it to spur her into action. She had to grab her clothes, toiletries, and maybe a few pictures. The only thing she could think of was to go to Dick and ask him if she could stay there until she got on her feet. She knew he'd be able to get Bruce to okay it.

With tears streaming down her face, Melody raced around the room pulling things from drawers and off shelves, throwing them into two, oversized suitcases.

Alfred opened the large door to Wayne Manor. His eyebrows rose a notch when he saw Melody standing there.

"Miss Bardon, what may I do for you?"

"Is Richard around?" she said meekly, afraid she hadn't hid the suitcases well enough and any minute she'd be caught. She didn't want them knowing she'd assumed they'd accept her into the house.

"He is. I'll fetch him for you." He motioned for Melody to enter and shut the door behind her when she did. Then he left to find Dick.

It wasn't long before Dick walked into the entrance hall. Melody noticed he didn't look so happy. She knew her father must have yelled at him.

"You shouldn't be here, Mel," he told her, not bothering to meet her eyes.

"But I have something I need to tell you. I-"

"Why didn't you tell me your father didn't want you seeing me?" he blurted, not letting her finish.

"I didn't think it was terribly important. But Richard, I-"

"It is important when you'd be disowned!" he cried. "Melody, I couldn't bear the thought that you gave up a good life to be with me. I'm not worth it."

"But you are! I know you are! I knew my father was being controlling and he was just trying to scare me away from doing what he knew I wanted to do."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you throw it all away. Trust me when I say I'm not worth it. I thought that maybe I could handle the relationship as well as everything else that's going on in my life, so I gave it a shot. And I love being with you, Melody, I do, but I won't cause you problems when there's a good chance you won't be happy." Taking a deep breath he continued. "I'm sorry, I have to break up with you. We can't keep seeing each other."

"No!" she cried, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. If she and Dick didn't continue seeing each other, she'd have to go to the homeless shelter. She couldn't stay with anyone else.

"I'm really sorry, Mel. This is for the best, though." He still looked at the floor. "Please don't contact me again. I don't want to cause you trouble." He turned to go. "I think you should leave now," he said over his shoulder as he began walking away.

Melody burst into tears yet again and turned and ran from the mansion. She couldn't tell him now. If he knew she was pregnant, it would cause more problems.

That night Melody hadn't made it to the homeless shelter before the doors were locked. She tried to tell herself that for the first night of being homeless, it was better that she was cold rather than among a sea of strangers all sleeping around her. But as the night grew colder the thoughts didn't help much.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, wake up!" a gruff, male voice said.

Melody jumped and sat up on the bench she'd fallen asleep on. She looked up at the officer with wide eyes.

"Geeze!" he said his face showing concern. "You can't be much younger than my daughter. What are you doing out here, kid?"

"Um, I…" she couldn't think of a lie quick enough. Looking around, she tried to figure something out, her face growing more and more red with embarrassment. Then she began to cry.

"Aw, honey, don't cry." The older man sat down next to her and pulled her to him. "Hush now, it's alright. I know what must've happened. You'll be just fine. Now, tell me your name."

"M-Melody," she hiccupped. She didn't dare tell him her last name for fear he might tell some reporter.

"Well, Melody, how about I buy you some breakfast and then I get you over to the homeless shelter? And don't worry about being embarrassed. There are plenty of folk who had to go there because of one thing or another and most of them were what society calls 'respectable.' Everyone falls on tough times."

Melody nodded as she stood with the man and he guided her to his car.

Two hours later Melody sat in a chair in front of a desk at the homeless shelter. A woman who appeared to be at least fifty-years-old sat in an uncomfortable-looking chair opposite her.

"We require that those who come to stay with us must find a job within a month of coming here. After that, we give you six months to save your money and look for a new, permanent, place to live." She shuffled through a pile of papers on the desk and then handed a few to Melody.

"This is a list of jobs nearby. Some might require a resume so I suggest you head over to the library to make and print a few out. We'll give you two hours to get settled and then someone will come around to check on you. We don't sit by and wait for you to get to it. It's easier on everyone if we keep you on track."

Melody looked through the papers for a moment while the woman began filling out a paper and then filed it. When she was done she turned back to Melody. "Everything is set so I guess I'll show you around."

Before the two hours were up, Melody was already out and applying for a job. She'd never worked a day in her life and she was afraid that her inexperience would keep her from getting anything. Once, she tried going to the bank to see if she could take anything out of the savings account her parents had set up for her. She never kept cash on her and she'd needed some to get food. But, as she suspected, her father had pulled all the money from it and closed it.

That night she dove into the meager meal the shelter provided and then fell asleep in her bed almost instantly. Tomorrow she'd have to go out again and her feet were already screaming at her from all the walking she'd done today.

"Thank you. Have a nice day!" Melody said to the customer as the man picked up his bags and left.

A month had passed since her father disowned her and Melody had been offered a job at a grocery store as a cashier. She was glad for such simple work, even if the pay wasn't that great. She'd only gotten one paycheck so far and it'd barely been over two hundred dollars, but every bit of it went into the new savings account she'd opened at a different bank than her father's.

It wasn't always easy, but Melody made the best of the situation she was in. At the shelter when she first arrived, she'd been happy to discover that everyone didn't sleep in one big room on cots. She'd been given a small room with two twin beds in it. Her half the room was bare but the other half had a few belongings lying about. Her roommate then had annoyed her to no end and she had considered quite a few times asking if she might be given a different room, but she didn't want to complain. Luckily, though, the woman only had two weeks left before she had to leave. Melody's net roommate was a young woman, not yet in her thirties, with a little girl. When the woman discovered Melody was pregnant she immediately took to her and began helping her out. Melody was grateful for the woman and her friendship.

When the two had off they'd take the little girl, Audrey, to the park and watch her play with the other kids. As Audrey played, Melody and the woman, Ellen, would talk about baby names for Melody's child.

Melody smiled over at Ellen, who also worked as a cashier at the same grocery store. Melody had told her they were hiring and ecstatic when she found out they'd hired her new friend.

But Melody's smiled was wiped from her face when up walked Bruce Wayne. His eyes widened at seeing her and Melody's face turned bright red and she hung her head as she quickly scanned the few items and placed them in bag.

"Miss Bardon," Bruce said, trying not to sound too surprised.

"Hello Mr. Wayne. How are you today?" she said automatically, still not wanting to look at him.

"I'm good." He paused for a moment, looking at her. "What are you doing working here?"

"I need the money," she said quietly, feeling the tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Your father didn't…?"

Melody nodded as she turned toward the register and pressed a button.

"But I thought you and Dick had stopped seeing each other."

"We did."

"Then why?"

Melody burst into tears. "Excuse me Mr. Wayne," she blurted. "Please don't tell Richard." With that she ran off, rushing past her manager who looked at her with wide eyes as she pointed back towards her checkstand, the other hand over her face.

"Melody, honey," Ellen called through the bathroom stall door. "What's the matter?"

Melody continued to cry, not answering her friend. With a sigh Ellen pulled out a nail file and used it to open the lock on the stall door. When the door open Melody didn't bother looking up. Ellen pulled the girl up by her shoulders and escorted her to the handicap stall that had a small bench inside it.

Sitting Melody on it, she sat down next to her and placed and arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Now, tell me what's going on?"

Melody took a shuddering breath but still didn't look at Ellen as she launched into her story of what had happened to her a month before. By the end Ellen was hugging Melody so tight she couldn't breathe properly.

"That's terrible for your father to do that to you!"

"I guess I should have expected it. I mean my mother did leave him and she's a very patient woman."

"Well I understand how you were upset by Mr. Wayne. I would have been upset, too. The main reason I'm in Gotham is so I won't have to see my husband's family. They all blame me for his death. They assume I could easily have kept him from taking those drugs."

Melody looked up at Ellen. She'd never thought of asking why she was in the shelter. "That's horrible," Melody stated.

"Yes, it is. I tried everything I could to keep Jeremy from doing drugs. I even went so far as to go to his boss and tell him what was going on so that the man would give me Jeremy's paychecks. If I got his money then he wouldn't be able to buy the drugs so easily. I tried to get him to go into rehab, but he wouldn't have it. He insisted that he didn't have a problem, that he wasn't addicted. But with each day it got worse. Then, one day, I came home to find him slumped over on the couch, the needle in his hand. He'd pawned our T.V. and my jewelry to get the amount he'd overdosed on."

Now Melody was hugging Ellen. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. I miss him most of the time, but the pain is growing more and more dull with each day. It's been nearly a year since it happened. Even though I explained over and over again to his family that I'd tried everything to get him to quit, even threatening to take Audrey away, they refused to believe me. They tried to punish me by trying to get custody of Audrey, lying to the court, saying I was an unfit parent. Luckily, the judge wasn't stupid. She ruled in my favor. But once all that was over with, I barely had any money to feed me and my daughter. I took on two jobs, then. Jeremy's family insisted on stopping by my second job just to give me dirty looks and tried their best to make my life hell. So, when I finally had enough, I took what little money I'd saved and packed our things and moved here."

"You're so brave to do that!"

Ellen laughed. "I'm not the only one who's brave. You've never worked before and yet you went out there and got a job just like that," she snapped her fingers for emphasis. "The Bruce Wayne incident aside, I think you're doing very well."

"How was I supposed to handle seeing him? All I could think of was that he was going to go and tell Richard everything."

"Would that be so bad? Maybe he'd understand that now he could see you because you're already disowned."

"No, I doubt he would think of that. I saw him a few weeks ago."

Ellen gasped. "You saw him and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want to talk about it, I was too angry. I'd tried telling him about my father disowning me and tried to tell him he was going to be a father soon, but he wouldn't listen to me. He just kept looking around like he expected some sort of bodyguard to jump from the bushes and beat him up for talking to me." Her tears began to start afresh. "Then he got angry and told me it was a good thing we'd broken up because he realized that he'd been spending too much time with me and neglecting things that were more important."

"Aw, honey!" Ellen gave Melody's shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'll bet you that he said those things to make you angry on purpose. Guys seem to think that making a girl angry is better than explaining things to them. He didn't know you'd been disowned and he was trying to protect you."

"No! He wasn't! You didn't hear him, you didn't see the look on his face. He didn't want to have anything to do with me!" She began to sob. "I hate Richard! I should have believed my father. I'd heard the stories about him from some of my friends. He's been with so many girls. They all thought things were getting serious and then, just like that, he'd drop them. Now I'm stuck in this situation all because I refused to believe my friends and my father." She hiccupped and Ellen patted her back.

For a moment Ellen rubbed Melody's back like she did Audrey's when the little girl was upset, thinking. Then, suddenly she stood and pulled Melody with her. "My shift is over and Tom said you can have the rest of the day off."

"I need the money!"

"Hush," Ellen soothed. "He said he'd mark it as a personal day and you'll be paid for the rest of your shift."

"He's too nice to me," Melody continued to cry.

Ellen laughed and nodded. "I think he has a thing for you."

"No!" Melody immediately stopped crying and looked up at Ellen. "I'm going to have a baby soon, he can't be into me!"

The older woman laughed harder and escorted Melody from the bathroom. "Let's go get Audrey from school and we can all go get some ice cream."

By the time Melody was into her sixth month, and starting to show, she and Ellen had gotten together and rented out a small apartment. At first, Melody hadn't wanted to do it because she'd been thinking of moving to live with her mother once she got the money for her plane ticket and other things, but Ellen assured her that they'd find a place she could afford on her own so when Melody left, it wouldn't be a problem.

As Melody continued to work, she was miserable. Despite the air conditioning in the store, she still sweated from the July heat that radiated through the windows next to the registers. It didn't help her mood, either, that with the baby getting so big, her feet were swollen and constantly throbbing.

As August rolled around Melody had managed to save enough to get a ticket to leave in September. When she'd told Ellen she'd purchased it, the woman threw her arms around her and began to cry. This made Melody, who was already overly emotional, start crying as well, which made Audrey come running to hug both the women.

The week before she was to leave, her co-workers threw her a going away party that turned into a baby shower as people began handing over gifts of baby clothes and coupons for diapers for when she got to her mother's.

It was night before she was to leave that Melody was waiting in the parking lot of the grocery store for Ellen to get off work. As she stood there she heard a group of men approaching, thinking nothing of it since she was well within sight of anyone in the store, not to mention there was plenty of light.

It wasn't until a large hand was on her shoulder that Melody felt any fear. She was whirled around to face the group of men, all leering at her despite her swollen belly.

"Well aren't you a sweet-looking thing," the man with his hand on her shoulder said. "Where's your husband? Shouldn't he be out here with you?"

"He's g-getting the car. He'll be here any second so you'd better leave me alone." Melody said, her eyes wide with fright.

One man laughed. "Yeah right! I've seen you around here before, you don't have a husband."

"Is that so?" the first man said as he looked her up and down. "Well it looks like she likes to have a little fun, don't it guys?" They all laughed. "Why don't you come with us and we'll make you feel real good." He began to push her away from the lights and the view of the store workers. Melody tried to resist but with so many shoving on her, and the baby being so big it threw her off-balance, she couldn't keep her ground.

When they were in the dark on the side of the building Melody was pushed against the wall. Her arms wrapped around her belly instinctively as her head turned this way and that, watching all the men.

"It's a good thing your pregnant, I hate condoms," the first man said as he pushed her to the ground and began unzipping his pants.

Melody turned her head, her entire body shaking, afraid of what was to come. But nothing came. Instead, she heard what sounded like someone getting punched and then a thud. When she turned her head back around she saw the first man sprawled on the cement in front of her. She looked up to see a dark figure in the midst of the men, fighting them.

One by one they went flying, landing unconscious on the ground. When the last of the gang had been knocked out the dark figure approached Melody. Suddenly her fear returned and she threw one arm over her stomach and the other over her head, shrinking away from the person.

"You're safe now," came the deep voice.

Shaking, she looked up into the face of Batman. She gasped never expecting to ever see him up close. She'd only seen pictures of him. He held out his hand for her to take and helped her to stand.

After she brushed herself off she looked back at the mysterious figure and noticed he was looking at her belly. She placed a hand on it protectively, even though she knew he'd not hurt her.

"Thank you so much," she said, her voice coming out in barely a whisper.

"Maybe net time you should wait into for your boyfriend."

"I don't have one." She couldn't figure out what he was thinking as he stared at her in silence.

"Then waiting inside is definitely the better choice. Go ahead and go back, I'll watch to make sure no one comes after you."

The next day, as Melody, Ellen, and Audrey were heading out the door on their way to the airport, they found an envelope stuck to the door. Melody's name was written on it so she opened it. She pulled out a letter and as her eyes scanned the page she gasped. Ellen grabbed the note and began to read.

i"Dear Miss Bardon, I took the liberty of finding out your name and address in order to give you this gift. I set up a savings account for your child and there is enough money in it to pay for a four year degree at even the most elite college. You may use the money for things for your child other than college, if you or the child wishes. The money is theirs to so with as they like. Stay safe, B."/i

Ellen looked up at Melody in question. "Who's B?"

For a moment Melody couldn't speak. When she came to she thought for a moment then told Ellen what had happened the night before. "It has to be him. Who else could it be?"

"I don't understand, though. I've never heard of him giving money to anyone else he's helped. Why you?"

"I don't know, but why question it? I know my mom can pay for college for my baby but I've come to like the thought that I'm providing for it. Even though, technically, the money isn't my own, it's much better than have my mom pay."

"True. Well let's get you on that plane. I'm sure your mom is going to be so excited to see you there!"


	6. Chapter 6

biuSorry for such a long delay. I'm afraid it'll be another extra long one between all these chapters and the next. I don't have internet and I'm probably able to get on about every two to three weeks. I have just a bit more written than what's here but I don't care for it so I want to fix it.

Yes, this chapter is really short. The next one starts with Bryce in her twenties. So I'll leave it here for now. I hope you guys love all these chapters all the sudden. Hope the view into Melody Bardon was entertaining. This is pretty much the last you'll see her in good health./i/b/u

The plane ride took forever and when she landed in Germany, Melody could have cried she was so happy to be standing and moving around. She smiled and thanked the flight attendant who'd been so nice to her during the flight, offering her snacks she was supposed to have paid for for free.

She got her luggage and found a taxi to take her to her mother's house. By the time she got there, she felt like she was about to burst she had to pee so badly.

On the doorstep she rang the bell, trying to control the urge to fidget to keep from wetting herself. When the door opened Melody gave a bright smile to the woman she knew had to be the housekeeper. The woman looked Melody up and down, her eyes lingering on her stomach.

"You look familiar," the old woman said.

"Oh! You might've seen pictures of me. I'm Shandra's daughter, Melody. Is my mother home?"

The old woman frowned but let Melody in, helping her to get her luggage inside. "What are you doing here, child?" she said a she shut the door.

"I've come to see my mom, is she here?"

"Hasn't anyone told you?"

"Told me what?"

"I know I sent a letter last year," she mumbled, then looked at Melody, her eyes showing sympathy. "Dear, your mother died last year."

For a moment Melody thought she'd heard wrong so she laughed. "Pardon? I thought I heard you say my mother died last year."

"I did," the housekeeper said with a nod.

Melody's face went white and her knees gave out. The woman caught her and helped her to a chair nearby. "Wh-what happened?"

"Didn't your father tell you? I sent you a letter when she took ill."

Melody shook her head, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the wall across from her.

"Your mother was diagnosed with bone cancer. She was given half a year but she died only a month later. I sent letters both times. I tried calling but no one would pick up."

"But…that can't be. I came all this way to see her, I-" her throat closed up and she couldn't speak as tears began to fill her eyes. Her hands went to her belly.

"Tell me what's happened, child."

All Melody said was that she'd been disowned when her father found out she was pregnant. She didn't want to speak of Richard or the things he'd said to her. She'd come to pretend that she'd never met him and fantasized that her baby belonged to some other man.

"I worked so hard to get the money to come here," she sobbed. "Now what am I going to do?"

"I think I may be able to help. By the way, I'm Emma. Your mother and I were very good friends. Now, I'm only here to see that things are taken care of until the new owners arrive. When they come I've got a job at another house with a very nice family. I'm sure they'll take you in and give you work. They even have plenty of children so your child will feel like it has siblings. Everything will be just fine."

Emma had been right when she said everything was going to be fine. The family took Melody in and gave her a simple job in the kitchen where she could be off her feet as she helped the chef prepare meals by sitting on a stool and getting things ready.

When it was time for her baby to be born, the entire family and Emma went to the hospital to await the birth. Emma was in the delivery room, holding Melody's hand.

Melody was born a healthy black haired, blue eyed, baby girl and as the family crowded into Melody's room to look at the sleeping child in her arms, the wife asked, "Are you going to give her the father's last name?"

"No, she'll have my name."

"What'd you name her?"

"Bryce Bardon."


End file.
